Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday attended a concert by legendary British singer Yusuf Islam, also known as Cat Stevens.
The concert, held at the presidential complex in the capital Ankara, was also attended by first lady Emine Erdogan, Vice President Fuat Oktay, and members of the Cabinet.
Islam’s wife Fauzia Mubarak Ali and his son Mohammed Islam were also in the audience.
Under the stage name Cat Stevens, Islam left an indelible mark on music with a string of hits in the 1960s and ‘70s. After converting to Islam in 1977, he changed his name to Yusuf Islam.
Yusuf Islam, also known as Cat Stevens (Credit: Anadolu)
Islam's concerts in Türkiye, in Istanbul last week and Ankara this week, are the first time he has hit the road in five years.
British singer Yusuf Islam, also known as Cat Stevens, was hosted at Anadolu Agency's headquarters for an exclusive podcast.
He was welcomed in the Turkish capital Ankara by Oguz Enis Peru, the agency's deputy director, and Oguz Karakas, the agency’s project management coordinator on Sunday.
During the podcast, the world famous artist spoke about his first performance in Türkiye last week as part of the Turkish Culture Road Festival.
"I said, I would, Inshallah, one day I would play in Turkey. And so I wanted to fulfill that promise. And now after my first concert, I feel very, very, very good and very relaxed," he said.
He said the money raised from his concerts in Türkiye would be donated to Peace Train, an initiative of the Yusuf Islam Foundation, which helps to feed people in need and spread peace around the world.
"Peace Train has turned into an initiative that I tried to feed people because I base it on the saying of the Prophet peace be upon him, feed people and spread peace, and how can you have peace if you're starving?" he added.
Praising the milestones Türkiye has achieved since the 80s, he said: "I have seen that it is inspirational for me because we have a center in the UK, we are trying to develop also.
"We call it the Maqam Center, based on the place where Ibrahim, you know, began to build the Kaaba called Maqam Ibrahim and we want to make that a beautiful center and we've been very inspired by the buildings that we've seen in Turkey. We have a Turkish architect also to help us."
Yusuf Islam (Credit: Anadolu)
Also, Islam met his fans at the CSO Ada Ankara.
He left a mark during the 1960s and 1970s with his music. The singer converted to Islam in 1977, changing his name to Yusuf Islam.
